Fort Prince George
Encyclopedia
Fort Prince George was an uncompleted fort on what is now the site of Pittsburgh, at the confluence of the Allegheny
and Monongahela Rivers
in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
. The site was originally a trading post established by Ohio Company
trader William Trent in the 1740s. Fort Prince George (named for the crown prince, later King George III) was started in January 1754 by 41 Virginia
ns in 1754. The plan to occupy the strategic forks was formed by Virginia Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie
with the advice of Lieutenant Colonel George Washington
, who Dinwiddie had sent on a mission to warn French commanders in late 1753, and who had made a military assessment of the site. Captain Trent was in command of the force that was constructing the fort, which was driven off by a force of 500 French and Indians led by Claude-Pierre Pécaudy de Contrecœur
. At the time of the appearance of the French and Indians, Trent had been recalled to Wills Creek for a conference and his second-in-command, Lieutenant John Fraser, was at his own plantation at Turtle Creek on the Mononghela River, leaving Ensign Edward Ward in charge at the time of Fort Prince George's surrender on April 18, 1754.
Fraser was later court-martialled for desertion at Williamsburg
but was acquitted and later served as Chief of Scouts to General Edward Braddock
.
It was the first of five forts that were built to control the strategic "Forks of the Ohio". The French built Fort Duquesne
after seizing the site, and the British built Fort Pitt
after they captured the site in the 1758 Forbes Expedition
. Mercer's Fort was a temporary British fort built to repel a French counter attack while Fort Pitt was being built. The last fort in the immediate area of what is now downtown Pittsburgh was named Fort Lafayette
and was located further up the Allegheny River.
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and Monongahela Rivers
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
. The site was originally a trading post established by Ohio Company
Ohio Company
The Ohio Company, formally known as the Ohio Company of Virginia, was a land speculation company organized for the settlement by Virginians of the Ohio Country and to trade with the Indians there...
trader William Trent in the 1740s. Fort Prince George (named for the crown prince, later King George III) was started in January 1754 by 41 Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
ns in 1754. The plan to occupy the strategic forks was formed by Virginia Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie
Robert Dinwiddie
Robert Dinwiddie was a British colonial administrator who served as lieutenant governor of colonial Virginia from 1751 to 1758, first under Governor Willem Anne van Keppel, 2nd Earl of Albemarle, and then, from July 1756 to January 1758, as deputy for John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun...
with the advice of Lieutenant Colonel George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, who Dinwiddie had sent on a mission to warn French commanders in late 1753, and who had made a military assessment of the site. Captain Trent was in command of the force that was constructing the fort, which was driven off by a force of 500 French and Indians led by Claude-Pierre Pécaudy de Contrecœur
Claude-Pierre Pécaudy de Contrecœur
Claude-Pierre Pécaudy de Contrecœur was an officer in the colonial regular troops , seigneur, and member of the Legislative Council of New France. Born on December 28, 1705 at Contrecœur, Quebec, son of Francois-Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecoeur, a seigneur and officer in the colonial regulars, and...
. At the time of the appearance of the French and Indians, Trent had been recalled to Wills Creek for a conference and his second-in-command, Lieutenant John Fraser, was at his own plantation at Turtle Creek on the Mononghela River, leaving Ensign Edward Ward in charge at the time of Fort Prince George's surrender on April 18, 1754.
Fraser was later court-martialled for desertion at Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
but was acquitted and later served as Chief of Scouts to General Edward Braddock
Edward Braddock
General Edward Braddock was a British soldier and commander-in-chief for the 13 colonies during the actions at the start of the French and Indian War...
.
It was the first of five forts that were built to control the strategic "Forks of the Ohio". The French built Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the state of Pennsylvania....
after seizing the site, and the British built Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
after they captured the site in the 1758 Forbes Expedition
Forbes Expedition
The Forbes Expedition was a British military expedition led by Brigadier-General John Forbes in 1758, during the French and Indian War. Its objective was the capture of Fort Duquesne, a French fort constructed at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in 1754.The expedition...
. Mercer's Fort was a temporary British fort built to repel a French counter attack while Fort Pitt was being built. The last fort in the immediate area of what is now downtown Pittsburgh was named Fort Lafayette
Fort Lafayette (Pennsylvania)
Fort Lafayette, sometimes called Fort Fayette, was an American fort in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.It was sited near present-day Penn Avenue and Ninth Street in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh.-History:...
and was located further up the Allegheny River.